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St Osmund’s launches first school biomass boiler under South West Bioheat Programme
St Osmund's middle school in Dorchester is the first school - and only the second scheme of any kind - in the south west region to fit a wood fuel boiler under the South West Bioheat Programme.For 25 years, St Osmund's School had been served by two 233 kW gas main boilers, but when they failed in 2008 and the school had to arrange temporary heating, it spurred the school's headmaster, Ron Jenkinson, to consider bio heat. Ron was attracted by not only the potential for cost savings in the long term and the reduction of carbon emissions, but also the impact that direct experience of bio heat could have on the learning of his pupils.
The South West Bioheat Programme provided specialist ‘project champion' consultancy support to help with preparation of a successful grant application followed by grant administration support.
Ron said: "We cover renewable energy as a topic in Year 8 and we explore with the children the impact of energy use on the environment and what practical steps we could take that would help. It is really useful for the children to gain practical experience of renewable energy to complement their theoretical learning. We are a centre of learning and by embracing bio heat, we are providing a new learning opportunity for our students. We are also keen to send out the right messages about the importance of sustainability to our students and the wider community."
"We are pioneers," added Ron, "as this has been the very first woodchip biomass boiler to be installed in a Dorset school. The logistics have been very closely followed by Salisbury Diocese and also by Dorset County Council."
The project has become a figurehead, strengthening St Osmund's school's status within ‘Eco Schools‘, an awards scheme where schools compete to achieve a high ranking in terms of their sustainability. Now that the school has established the ‘big picture', it intends to use the biomass boiler to trigger a major impact on its pupils' understanding of the importance of sustainability.
Stephen Green, technology project manager at Regen SW, said: "The installation at St Osmund's School is a real milestone in the South West Bio-Heat Programme and it clearly demonstrates that woodfuel heating and energy generation can benefit not only businesses, but also schools in the region. We now have a range of bio-heat projects, which will increase the south west capacity by an additional 30-40 MW, and because of Defra's funding it will allow some of the region's biggest heat users to make the switch from oil and gas to wood heating, utilising wood from sustainable south west supplies."
St Osmund's received grant funding obtained with the help of the Energy team at Dorset County Council who also assisted through the process of establishing the installation and provided some expert advice.
Senior energy engineer at Dorset County Council, Mike Petitdemange, said: ‘Dorset County Council had signed up to government ‘stretch targets' to deliver an additional 800 kW of renewable energy in the three years to March 2009 through supporting at least 64 new projects. With a target capacity of 300 kW, St Osmunds became a keystone of our delivery of these targets.'
Mike added: ‘It was particularly encouraging to see the way the school responded to the challenge. This is a heartening response and one that we do tend to see from the best schools.'
The South West Bio-Heat Programme was launched in 2007 with £650,000 funding from the South West RDA and £10,000 from the Forestry Commission. Run by Regen SW, the south west sustainable energy agency, the programme advised business and organisations on the practicalities of installing a biomass boiler that uses woodfuel from sustainably managed woodland, biodegradable crops, wastes and residues. The programme was such a success that the South West RDA was awarded £3 million in April 2008 by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to invest in 30 bioheat projects across the region, including St Osmund's school.
Mark Prior, woodfuel partnership officer for the South West RDA, said: "Our region is leading by example in the field of renewable energies and it is particularly pleasing to see St Osmund's School become the first school under the South West Bio-Heat Programme to install and start using a woodchip boiler. Developing alternative sources of energy, both for heating and electricity, is vital in tackling climate change and promoting a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy in the south west.
Once all 30 projects under the South West Bio-Heat Programme are up and running they will provide the region with up to 32 MW of renewable heat and save an estimated 7,000 tonnes of carbon a year.
The south west currently has 30 MW of biomass heat installed, the highest number of biomass boilers in England and the second largest amount of woodland resources after the south east, which makes it ideally placed to grow this sector of renewable energy.
To help businesses and individuals find out more about the options related to wood fuel and identify the way forward, Regen SW has today launched the South West Woodshed website: http://www.southwestwoodshed.co.uk/. The website is aimed at a wide variety of audiences, from businesses looking for large-scale industrial heating solutions to householders looking for seasoned logs in south west of England.
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Notes to editors
About Regen SW
Regen SW, which receives its core funding from the South West of England Regional Development Agency, is the sustainable energy agency for South West England. It was previously the region's renewable energy agency, and it now has an extended remit to include energy efficiency.
Regen SW's purpose is to speed up the transition to a low carbon economy in the South West England. It works to accelerate the uptake of renewable energy, champion energy efficiency initiatives and to grow the region's sustainable energy businesses.
The South West RDA has invested more than £3.3 million of funding to Regen SW since 2002.
About the South West RDA
The South West RDA leads the development of a sustainable economy, investing to unlock the region's business potential. It works in partnership with public, private and social purpose organisations to drive up the region's productivity by giving people the skills they need, encouraging enterprise, improving infrastructure, regenerating places, and promoting the strengths of the region. For more information see http://www.southwestrda.org.uk/
For further information
Please contact James Reddy, Regen SW communications manager on 01392 474322/07967 835947
